Watch Earth from Space (NASA Footage in 4K High Definition)

Get ready to be blown away by this incredible footage; NASA astronaut Jeff Williams captured ultra high definition 4K video of Earth from the International Space Station. Without a doubt, this footage is phenomenal and clearly demonstrates our glaring solidarity on this floating space rock we call Earth.

Not only is the footage fascinating, but hearing the perspective of NASA astronaut Williams as he talks about his experience of gazing upon the Earth when in space is literally out of this world. Considering the state of our global culture in 2017, this perspective is direly needed.

It’s interesting to hear Astronauts recount their experience when viewing Earth from space. The effect has been coined as “The overview effect”, which according to Wikipedia is:

“It refers to the experience of seeing firsthand the reality of the Earth in space, which is immediately understood to be a tiny, fragile ball of life, “hanging in the void”, shielded and nourished by a paper-thin atmosphere. From space, national boundaries vanish, the conflicts that divide people become less important, and the need to create a planetary society with the united will to protect this “pale blue dot” becomes both obvious and imperative.”

The term and concept were coined in 1987 by Frank White, who explored the theme in his book The Overview Effect — Space Exploration and Human Evolution (Houghton-Mifflin, 1987), (AIAA, 1998). The overview effect has been considered to be one of the stimuli that led to the Gaia hypothesis.

“You develop an instant global consciousness, a people orientation, an intense dissatisfaction with the state of the world, and a compulsion to do something about it. From out there on the moon, international politics look so petty. You want to grab a politician by the scruff of the neck and drag him a quarter of a million miles out and say, ‘Look at that, you son of a bitch.” ― Edgar D. Mitchell

NASA has made these video files available for download, to do so click here.

Kyle

Kyle is a Canadian born New Zealander who has lived in Australia, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and Canada. In 2016, he gave up the corporate rat race and became a digital nomad travelling through the world. His love for philosophy, science, politics, music and learning new things never stops.